Category Archives: Technology

In my recent travels, I found a few mobile apps that are very useful when I look for special deals and promos (to lessen my expenses). Using these apps doesn’t guarantee that you can immediately get cheaper deals, but if you know how to use them (and if you are a wise user), you can definitely get a great bargain. The following are my top 5 apps ideal for budget traveling.

1. Kayak

Kayak is a travel search engine that lets you search for flights (across all available airlines), hotels, cars, and a lot more. In my case, I use it to look for the cheapest airline promos and deals. Unlike other travel search engines, Kayak lets the users filter search results from the cheapest to the most expensive deals. To get cheaper deals, make sure to book on weekdays and book a month or a few months before your travel date.

2. Agoda

Definitely the most useful app I’ve been using for quite some time now. Agoda allows its users to search for hotels all over the globe. Just like Kayak, it has a filter functionality that allows users to view the results of their searches from the cheapest to the most expensive hotel deals. If you are a registered user, you can get some special deals and they also offer reward points in every hotel that you’ve checked in. Those points are convertible to cash which you can use to pay for your next check-in.

3. Tripit

This app automatically grabs every booking details in your email and organizes them in chronological order. Tripit is very useful for people who have no time to plot their travel schedules. It helps you save time and puts your mind at ease knowing that you can check all your travel details in one place, well-organized and updated.

4. Google Earth

Instead of a map, I prefer to use this app in checking for places and locations I wanted to go to. Aside from the very detailed satellite and aerial views, it also helps me in getting street details that are very important when I’m commuting (especially when I’m riding in a taxi). Most taxi drivers would intentionally change your route so that they can charge higher fare. This is very useful if you are traveling to a specific place for the very first time.

5. AirBnB

This is the only app in this list that I haven’t used yet. Though I’ve already did some mock bookings, I haven’t decided yet if I’m gonna use this in the future. I feature this here because it has been reviewed in a few famous budget travel sites (and the feedback is mostly positive). AirBnB absolutely has the cheapest accommodation listings ever. Unlike Agoda, its listings are not focused on hotels but accommodations from AirBnB hosts. These hosts are ordinary people or fellow travelers who are accepting guests in their empty houses, apartments, rooms, or even bed spaces. The accommodation set-up is done between the guest and the host. Though it is very tempting, my cautious self is a bit hesitant due to the fact that a stay in a place with a complete stranger is very risky. But, I’m not closing my door on this.

Have you used any of the apps featured in this post? Do you use mobile apps to lessen the hassles and expenses while you travel? Share your experiences and tips below. (:

Before I will rant about the advantages and disadvantages of my newly bought pocket wifi unit, I will list first my expectations and well-thought reasons why I choose to subscribe to an internet service that would bleed me out Php999 every month (with no option to unsubscribe for 2 years).

For someone like me who tried to live frugally (though I often fail), buying another internet gadget and subscribing to another internet service is definitely a big decision to make. Between the lifestyle that I badly want to maintain and my work, I tried hard to create my own reasons why I need an internet connection all the time.

1. There’s no stable internet connection and signal in the places where I frequently visit outside Cebu.

During holidays and my partner’s work vacations, we often go to his hometown, a small island that’s detached from the main island of Bohol. My USB broadband stick doesn’t work there and I’ve been scouring for ways to solve my internet connectivity problem. The thought of getting a pocket wifi has been playing in my mind with the hope that the signal should improve and would allow me to work even if we’ll stay there for a long period of time.

2. I need a back-up internet connection if my broadband connection at home will break down.

Since I’m a self-proclaimed prepping advocate, the thought of having no internet connection back-up worries me a lot especially in times of calamities and in instances that disruptions of my broadband connection will occur. As my work requires me to be online all the time, internet connectivity is always in the priority of my list. The tediousness of going to internet cafes is something that I don’t want to experience again.

3. I plan to increase my frequency in traveling, thus I need an internet connection all the time to stay connected with my work and clients.

Who doesn’t want to travel? Everyone loves to go to their dream destinations without sacrificing their work. This is one of the biggest reasons why I get a pocket wifi. Though most hotels and coffee shops nowadays have wifi connections, the thought of not worrying if I can have a connection every time I entered a pub or check in into a hotel is quite liberating. The days of asking passwords and become frustrated when the wifi connection doesn’t work is gone. Working anytime and anywhere is very exciting.

4. If my pocket wifi will have good connection and signal at home, I plan to discontinue my broadband subscription on October to minimize expenses for my monthly internet connection bills.

This is something that I’ve been thinking for a while now. I still have second thoughts in discontinuing my broadband connection because so far it is quite fast and reliable. We plan on moving again at the end of the year, thus the possibility of disconnection is always high. But, the thought of only having a wifi connection is something that I can’t see myself doing. In my line of work, a back-up connection is a must. Therefore, this reason is just a mere alibi. LOL!

5. To minimize my coffee shop expenses and avoid hanging out in expensive coffee shops just for the sake of getting a faster internet connection.

Obviously, this is my 2nd biggest reason. Hanging out in coffee shops to get a faster connection for work is really expensive. Also, I don’t plan to keep on avoiding places which I really like just because they have no wifi.

Lastly, though this is a bit silly and lame, I bought a pocket wifi because I want to check-in (in Foursquare) in all the places that I go to. Very, very lame but this is something that I personally crave. Why? Just because. Haha!

Do you own a pocket wifi? What are your main reasons why you bought and subscribe to it? I hope you also have some valid reasons like mine (except the last one). (:

Technology is evolving as we speak and it seems like every day there are new gadgets popping up, claiming to make our life easier.

Nowadays you can feel like you’re some sort of noob if you’re not up to date. I won’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to meet a friend and they’ve been running late and used Facebook to tell me this because they presumed I had internet on my phone. In the end I gave in to peer pressure and bought myself an iPhone, which has changed my life!

I have to admit that I’ve become slightly addicted to buying apps…many of which I don’t even need! Food apps are my favourite because I love cooking and trying out new recipes. I justify my addiction by saying it’ll make my dinner parties even more spectacular!

I thought I would compile a list of the best food apps for you to enjoy:

Food Magazine Philippines

Food Magazine is known and trusted for its recipes. In each issue you’ll find at least 30 of the newest recipes to try out. The nutritional content in also given so you won’t be left wondering! Learn about home basics such as how to budget, decorate, organise and store – you’ll find a bit of everything in this magazine app. Available for iPad and Android. Rating 4.5/5.

Easy Food Magazine

If you’re on a budget and also don’t have much time to cook then this is the app for you! There are hundreds of recipes. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, whether you’re cooking for a dinner party or just for yourself, you’ll get great hints and tips from this app. Available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Rating 4.5/5.

Jamie Oliver 20 minute meals

Have you always wanted to cook like the famous Jamie Oliver? This app is great for busy people who still want to cook for themselves rather than grab a cheeky takeaway on the way home from work. Each recipe is presented in easy-to-understand steps and there are photos too so you can’t really go wrong. Jamie also features in a few videos in which he gives out helpful tips. Available for Android, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Rating 4.2/5.

Food Planner

Food Planner is a great way to organise what you’re going to eat throughout the week so you know exactly what ingredients to purchase when you shop. You can use your own recipes or find ones online. It’s even possible to edit the recipes in case there’s something you want to add or omit to the ingredients. Available for Android. Rating 4.4/5.

Epicurious

This app has over 25,000 recipes to choose from and many have been professionally tested and featured in top magazines such as Gourmet and Bon Appétit. The step-by-step guide makes cooking easy to understand and you can even save the best recipes to your Favourites. Available for iPhone, iPad and Android. Rating 3.5/5.

Hungryhouse

If you’re ever in the UK and have no idea where to go to satisfy your hunger cravings then why not download the hungryhouse app. Just type in the cuisine you’re craving for and you’ll be shown a list of the nearest restaurants and their menus as well as customer reviews so you know which places have been recommended. Either visit the restaurant or use the app to order a takeaway directly to you. It couldn’t be easier! Available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android. Rating 4.5/5.

So what are you waiting for? Get great hints and tips from these apps and you’ll be a professional chef before you know it!

This has been a guest post by Clare Carmichael, a freelance writer for mypassionforfood and the hungryhouse magazine. The UK’s leading food delivery platform featuring restaurants from across the country including Brighton,Manchester and Glasgow.

In today’s tech-oriented society, and especially among college students, it can be hard to differentiate between regular Internet usage and a genuine addiction. After all, many people can hardly survive an evening without checking Facebook or peeking at Twitter on their mobile phones. Internet addiction is a very real concern, however, and it can have lasting consequences for sufferers. Here are a few of the most prevalent types of addiction:

• Cybersex addiction; users might be addicted to pornography or adult chat rooms as well
• Cyber-relationship addiction; people who forge tight bonds with virtual or online friends at the expense of real-life relationships may face this addiction
• Compulsive behavior; addicts may be unable to stop gambling, playing games or bidding in online auctions
• Information overload; some people may become so absorbed in surfing the Internet that their productivity and family relationships suffer.

How to Identify an Addiction

There is a fine line between addiction and an Internet-focused lifestyle. If online behaviors have a negative impact on a person’s real life, then those behaviors may be part of an addiction. For example, a person may miss work in order to get online. Alternatively, a person’s personal relationships might suffer if he is searching for intimacy through online relationships and cybersex rather than interpersonal relations in real life.

There are several other prevalent signs of an addiction:
• A person attempts to stop Internet usage unsuccessfully
• He lies about his Internet usage to friends, family or therapists
• He looks forward to his next Internet usage and plans his day around getting online
• He becomes irritable when separated from the Internet for any period of time
• He uses the Internet as a way to avoid or escape real-life concerns or issues

Any time a behavior interferes with a person’s regular life, it causes harm. If you or someone you know is suffering from Internet addiction, it may be time to call a therapist. Working with a trained professional can help you identify ways to reduce your Internet usage or avoid behaviors that are addictive until you’re able to get them under control.

Some Internet addiction programs focus on limiting time spent online and pursuing other activities instead. Even people who are not addicted could certainly benefit from pursuing outside interests to help encourage physical well-being and healthy relationships. For severe cases, rehabilitation centers exist that allow individuals to recover form Internet addiction without the stress or temptation of daily life interfering.

IN LATE December 2011, The Christian Science Monitor reported of e-book readers complaining of higher prices of e-books as prices of reading devices plunged, saying that it is difficult to justify the purchase of e-books worth $10-$12 when one can buy a used physical book over at Amazon for $2.

However, in January this year, the USA Today reported a post-holiday e-book “surge” with 32 of the top 50 book titles on its list at that time selling more copies in digital format than in print, including all top 10 titles such as The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins; Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson; and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

I’m not going to jump into conclusions, but I can tell that there is a trend of readers across the globe reading e-books. Does this affect physical books? Will this trend lead to the death of print books?

There are different ways of looking into this. One is, I know of many book bloggers who read both e-books and physical books and still express their love for the latter, saying that the scent and feel of paper can never replace the convenience that e-books give. Hence, if these book bloggers represent a sample in the whole reading population, then we can surmise that more individuals will embrace e-books without giving up print books. This will then lead us to surmise that authors and publishers will have to learn to embrace the two reading formats.

Two, not all can afford a reading device, especially here in the Philippines. Many poor and even middle-income families are more concerned with putting food on the table than buying their eldest with a tablet for his/her birthday. But that does not stop companies and organizations, such as Vibal Foundation, from digitizing book titles.

There is a question by pinoytechblog on whether or not the Philippines is ready for e-book readers. Judging from the way the young generation in the country is embracing technology, particularly gadgets, I think the Philippines is ready for e-book devices; we already have tablets and smartphones dominating the malls’ cyber zones. Still, with this case, how do we explain the numerous young people flocking to the local bookstores when I visit these shops almost every other day?

But for the younger generation, or the children, you might want to reconsider reading to them over an e-reader after studies show that doing so makes the children slower to read and understand the story. According to the researchers at Temple University, parents reading aloud and asking questions at certain intervals allows the children to think and focus on the story rather than having a device read to them wherein children are more focused on how to use the device properly.

To conclude, these scenarios tell us that it’s really the consumers who decide whether or not they let physical books die. So, if this question is thrown to you, would you let physical or print books die?

For me, I know I wouldn’t.

Nancy Cudis writes at her blog, www.nancycudis.com. She hosts Short Stories on Wednesdays and monthly Readings in Philippine Literature. Apart from short stories, she enjoys classics, children’s and middle-grade books, Christian and historical fiction, and (clean) romance. If she is not blogging, writing, or reading, she is driving and enjoying the fresh air on a road trip. While she owns a Kindle, she prefers bringing a physical book anywhere. Bump her at enarse@gmail.com.

Business Process Outsourcing has completely revolutionized the way entrepreneurs execute transactions in business. It has also engendered alternatives for industrialized countries that can now focus on reducing capital and labor costs. BPO has impacted different countries in different ways but its impact is more palpable in the third world countries that are focusing on raising their socio-economic development. This impact has generated the will to look at business process outsourcing as something ‘revolutionary’.

Does Business Process Outsourcing maintain Socio-economic Balance?

The issues of rising costs and cost cutting are increasingly becoming significant in a business environment. Thanks to the business process outsourcing that has revamped the revenue for third world countries. Industries over the time have been putting a barrier to draw a line between the rich and the poor and this is undoubtedly, a result of the age-old disparities that always exist in the social strata. BPO contributes big time by uplifting the status of the poorer countries and it’s also believed to trim down the income of the wealthier nations.
How Business Process Outsourcing enters Overall Development Picture?

Not many realize the benefits that business process outsourcing blesses third world countries with. There is no dearth of activists who take it to the streets and make hue and cry by demanding equality between rich and poor. These are the same people who want exploitation to stop and corrupt officials to step down immediately. This is how and when business process outsourcing manages to enter the real picture of overall development.

Even if admittance to this industry is based on certain qualifications, it can’t be denied how business process outsourcing has opened up doors for employment opportunities in the third world countries. Data entry, back end office, medical transcription and the count is on!

Business Process Outsourcing impacts Third World Countries But How?

And this is true regardless of the nature of work within this industry! Business process outsourcing has transformed the fortunes of the third world inhabitants. Labor has migrated from West to East. Now countries like China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and India can enjoy the benefits of industry level wages, without any risk of migrating abroad. Onshore process outsourcing is just a fraction of western commercial sector.

Future of Business Process Outsourcing in Third World Countries

Economists carry different opinions on the impact of globalization and outsourcing to the third world countries. Companies that belong to the rich companies are expected to intensify offshore process outsourcing in future – credit goes to amazing cost advantages! This process will benefit third world countries more; job gains resulting from outsourcing and earnings would cancel out the negative impact of the ‘brain drain’ in third world countries. Both the parties shall witness a more win-win situation in the upcoming years.

Arrival of process outsourcing is no less than a blessing in disguise for third world countries. Any objection to this will also lead to the erosion of future of first world countries. First world countries have the resources to open up jobs that third world countries can’t. For multinational corporations in the third world countries, outsourcing is a serious boost regarding short term gains with less negative effects and more promising positive impact. Business process outsourcing in future should be seen as a significant part of poverty reduction strategies on the global level.

About the Author:

Roxanne P. is a Freelance and Staff writer who writes informative & creative articles on SEO and Technology for various search engine optimisation company. Her expertise are in writing articles related to broadband only deals, SEO, Social media etc.

Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m one of the thousands of happy and contented Xperia users worldwide and I just simply love my Sony Ericsson X10 mini pro. It’s my ALL-IN-ONE gadget that I bring anywhere at anytime.

I bought it December of last year and I have no regrets or whatsoever. Its features and functionalities fit my active and fast-paced lifestyle and it actually had survived my latest Android upgrade. Isn’t that amazing?

If you love your XPERIA, I invite you to like this page and meet fellow XPERIANs or if you are wanting to have one then you should like this page more to possibly win amazing XPERIA units and other exciting Prizes.

In order to get the best from your high speed internet connection and maintain the highest speed, you first need to know just how good your connection is by performing an online speed test. Data transfer speeds vary with distance from the server, so try a few different locations to get a good average; this will establish a baseline with which to compare later speed tests.

It is a good idea to compare the results of the speed test to what your ISP states on your high speed internet service contract. While the speeds advertised by ISPs tend to be best case scenarios, a large difference in speed could indicate problems on the ISP side.

Physical connection problems increase data packet loss, slowing your internet connection by forcing it to request the same data more than once; double check all coax connections are tight.

Once the quality of the connection has been checked, there are several steps to optimize your PC and how it uses the connection.Regular system maintenance will not only keep your PC running efficiently, it will help maximize the speed of the internet connection. Data transfer speeds have increased so much since the days of dial-up that any problems with your computer can manifest as slower than expected internet connection, as the hardware and software struggle to keep up. Regular registry error checks, disk cleanup and defragmentation help to keep system performance at its best, but if your computer is over 5 years old it may be time to consider an upgrade.Double check the amount of RAM and hard drive space available. A computer may have a super fast processor but without adequate RAM, or with an overly full hard drive limiting virtual memory, the internet connection will suffer. Closing unused programs help to keep RAM free to be used by your internet browser while RAM management programs can also be useful to monitor RAM usage.

Unexpected bandwidth usage can slow your connection. Programs running in the background may be using bandwidth to check for and download updates or, in the case of viruses and Trojans, transmit other information to a remote computer. Software companies often have programs add themselves to those loaded at start-up, and in many cases this is completely unnecessary. Check your start-up programs and reduce the list to the bare minimum. Doing so will not only reduce the number of programs using bandwidth without you knowing, but also improve computer start-up speed and keep as much RAM free as possible. Set your antivirus program to update and scan when you aren’t using the computer; the same can be done with disk defragmentation. Note that real-time antivirus programs can slow a high speed internet connection considerably, but are a necessary evil. Most major antivirus software manufacturers offer free trials, so consider trying several different antivirus programs to see which works best with your system.

If your home network uses a wireless router it is very important to enable the built in security features to prevent bandwidth theft by individuals within range of the wireless signal. Most routers also allow management of port ranges for specific software applications to improve internet data transfer speeds.

Finally, when your connection and computer have been checked and optimized, it is time to look at the browser. While Microsoft Internet Explorer is still the most popular, it isn’t necessarily the best browser for all users, being rather resource hungry. Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are good alternative browsers. Firefox allows plug-ins and other web features to be easily controlled, while Chrome is very good for users with limited RAM.

Do you want to become a star?Do you have confidence in singing, and have basic video editing skills?Then this is your time to shine!Join Intel’s “Sing To Win” Contest and get a chance to win notebook computers powered by 2nd Generation Intel Core processors.

Intel’s “Sing to Win” Online Music Video-Making Contest started last August 8 and will end on December 1, 2011.Participants need to create an original music video using any of the 22-pre-selected OPM songs on the Intel Philippines Sing to Win Facebook page.Contestants are allowed to sing, dance, or perform accompaniment to their chosen song, and develop their films using any film style like flash animation, stop-motion filming, live action and a lot more.

How to Join

To join, participants must register for the contest and upload their videos to the Facebook page on or before December 1.They may submit entries as they like, but are only able to win once.Each music video entry must not exceed 5 minutes, and each participant should be the star of his/her own music video.

Criteria

Winners will be judged on creative merit and general appeal, as well as technical skill, song rendition and artistic impact. Judging of entries by members of the Intel team will commence on December 7 at the Intel Philippines office, with the awarding ceremony announcing the prize winner to follow on December 16.

Prizes

The 3 best entries will win notebook computers powered by 2nd Generation Intel Core processors and other goodies from Yamaha and Shure.

As of this writing, the Intel “Sing To Win” Samsung leg is currently picking up potential contestants in their road and mall show in Baguio.Other Interactive Road shows are also currently going nationwide.These road shows are made possible by the participation of Lenovo, Acer, Samsung, Asus and Neo.Visit the Intel’s “Sing to Win” Facebook Page for more details.

What is the very first thing that come to mind when you hear the word “Android”? Maybe for those people who are not into hi-tech stuff, they would think of those powerful characters from popular Chinese & Japanese series. But, for tech savvy individuals who are always in the look out for the latest buzz from the technology industry, Android is a very powerful technological innovation that is now rapidly changing the face of modern mobile computing.

What is ANDROID?

Android is a mobile (i.e tablet, smartphone) platform from Open Handset Alliance. It was acquired by Google (the developer) as Android Inc. (the start-up team that created the software) in 2005. It is an operating system that is based on Linux and Java. Android devices feature touch screens, GPS, Wi-Fi, camera, 3G or 4G service, and all applications you can think of that are supported by the version installed on your mobile device. The very first Android enabled device was introduced by T-Mobile on the year 2008.

Android VS iPhone

Android users download and install applications from the Android Market (Android’s online store). Aside from being at par or being more superior to Apple’s iPhone, Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications.

Android quickly became iPhone’s toughest competitor because aside from the fact that it’s at par with iPhone’s functionality, it also gives equal access of technology to all (not just the wealthy ones but also the masses). This, is because Android is an open-source software. Compared to iPhone’s apps which are solely controlled by Apple, Android has open-source applications.

“We created Android in response to our own experiences launching mobile apps. We wanted to make sure that there was no central point of failure, so that no industry player can restrict or control the innovations of any other. That’s why we created Android, and made its source code open.“, stated by the team behind the Android project headed by Google.

Android is for ALL

When I heard of this amazing innovation from Google, I was ecstatic and searched every article online that discusses how great it is. For the very first time, someone is toppling Apple’s “elitist” iPhone and giving every human being equal opportunity to use the latest technological innovation in mobile computing.

Technology should be for all and should not be limited or monopolized by any entities. Kudos to Google and to all the people behind this generation’s greatest innovation. \m/

The Yahoo PH team, headed by Mr. Jack Madrid, Yahoo Philippines Country Manager, and Mr. Erwin Lemuel Oliva, Yahoo PH’s Chief Editor, initiated the very first Yahoo meet-up here in Cebu last 2nd of December 2010 at TGI Fridays, Ayala Center. Yahoo Philippines will be launching their new website features and services for the year 2011.

As part of their nationwide launching, they invited technology bloggers here in Cebu to assess the online information needs of the Cebuano internet users. Yahoo PH recognizes the relevance of Cebu’s online scene to the general cyber community in the Philippines.

Yahoo PH, a division of Yahoo Search (one of the leading portals and search engines in the world), is a content-oriented website dedicated to serve the online information needs of the Filipino people.

Early this year, Yahoo PH had successfully launched their Purple Thumb, an election website that focuses on teaching Pinoys how to vote automatically last May 2010 election. The website started covering news from the start of the campaign period to the day the elected president made his state of the nation address.

Yahoo PH focuses more on building local relevant content dedicated to the 29,700,000 million internet users in the Philippines. Last November, they did a full coverage of Manny Pacquaio’s boxing fight through live blogging. This, according to Mr. Jack Madrid, changes the way Filipino follow a fight or a game.

2011 Launching

On the year 2011, Yahoo will be launching it’s official entertainment portal, OMG! PH. Yahoo PH sees entertainment as one of the most important parts of the Filipino way of living.

Fit to Post, Yahoo PH’s official blog, will also be launched next year. This blog site features regionally relevant contents to its audience. Fit to Post is composed of a team of expert bloggers all around the Philippines.

And, another big collaboration every search user should watch out for next year, is the partnership of the two biggest internet search engines:Bing and Yahoo Search. These two internet innovators will combine forces to fully compete with Google in the search engine market game.

Yahoo PH has more exciting surprises for the Filipino people next year. Aside from partnering with Microsoft’s Bing, they are also inviting bloggers all around the Philippine archipelago to become contributors of their official blog-site, Fit to Post. They recognize the importance of bloggers in disseminating useful information online.

You must have already heard about SM Cinema’s online movie ticket reservation with a twist. Why with a twist? Because unlike Ayala Cinema’s Sureseats (movigoers who buy tickets online get their actual tickets at the movie counter), SM Cinema lets movie goers claim their reserved tickets by just swiping their cellphone through an automated machine. Tickets are automatically released and printed without the aid of ticket tellers and the like.

The bCode Cellphone Scanner

The innovative “cellphone swiping twist” is actually awesome but I’m just wondering why SM Cinema is kinda too late in developing an online movie ticket reservation system. Ayala Cinema had already have one since like 2 years ago. Anyway, this latest development would surely benefit movie goers with fast-paced lifestyle and people who are always online.
Problem with the Website’s Navigational Structure

For the benefit of our fellow homo sapiens who are not internet savvy, I want to warn everyone though that the basic login – logout process of the SM Cinema website is not user friendly and has poor navigational structure.

Not user-friendly because it’s the only member-oriented website I know which has no basic Log-in and Log-out navigation located either at the upper left or right corner of the member’s dashboard or administration page. You need to undergo confusing page to page steps to find the Log out or Log in menu. This, is actually very stressful especially to users who don’t want to waste their time clicking useless links and browsing uninteresting pages.

Just take this specific situation I encountered after I registered online.

After I completed my registration by clicking the confirmation link sent to my email, I was redirected back to SM Cinema’s homepage. I immediately look for the log in button or link with the intention of checking my account settings.

To my disappointment, there’s really no log-in button or link on the index or home page. Later, I found out that you need to select a movie and then select schedule of viewing before you can log in. In short they wanted the members to reserve a ticket first before they can view their account. This, is actually very amusing. They should know that not all the times the users log-in just to reserve a ticket. Sometimes, they just browse what movies are in or if they wanted to update their account information like passwords or credit card details.

The same goes with the Log-out navigation. This is actually very risky since most users might forget to log out leaving all their important account information like their credit cards open to internet criminals. Same problem with the log in navigation, the log out button or link can’t be easily found on the member’s page. You need to go through like two deep links to access the log-out link menu.

I hope as of this writing, the navigational problems that I encountered have already been corrected. SM Cinema should take into consideration first the security of the information provided by their website members. Also, they should be more aware how important proper navigational structure is as part of their site’s usability.

Dell Inc., one of the world’s leading computer company, partners with Ng Khai Development Corporation, Cebu’s leading IT solutions provider to answer the growing needs of computer technology in Cebu and the Southern market.

Ng Khai, as Dell’s Premier Partner in its Partner Direct Program, aims to reach the Small Business Enterprise (SME) sector to help Dell expand its regional coverage in the primary cities and business districts in the VizMin area.

This partnership specifically aims to tap over a million smaller businesses in the Phippines (the largest territory of Dell in South Asia) and having Ng Khai as their business partner here in Cebu, Dell hopes that their technology would benefit those ones in the SME sector.

Both Dell and Ng Khai are confident with this expansion since Cebu is the second biggest growth center in the Philippines next to Metro Manila and the city is also boosting with large-scale manufacturing companies, IT parks and complexes ranging from business process outsourcing (BPOs), technical support, IT consultancy, and a lot more Information Technology development.

Competitive pricing (depends upon the package), custom integration for the company, and free tools to gear up system, are just a few of Dell’s offerings to their customers. Each of their computer package features the following applications: Dell Control Point, Dell Latitude On, Dell Back up Manager and a lot more.

SM City Cebu opens its 3rd IMAX theatre in the country and the first outside Metro Manila today. A pre-launching event and fashion show was held last 2nd of July to introduce the newest technology that would forever change your movie experience.

IMAX is the latest theater technology that features the highest-quality, most immersive motion picture entertainment. It is specifically designed to deliver the world’s most immersive movie experience. With it’s crystal clear images and combined with its powerful digital sound, the IMAX experience makes the audience feel as if they are IN the movie.

IMAX 3D

A 3D fashion show was held during the IMAX pre-launching at SM City Cebu, Northwing Atrium last week. This event showcased Cebu’s 3Ds (3 DJs and 3 Designers). The 3D theme represents the IMAX 3D technology which enables images to leap off the screen and into the laps of the audience, further enhancing the feeling of being IN the movie.

Lenovo Philippines launched a new global campaign dubbed as “Make Life More Fun” last 24th of May, 2010 at Olio Bar and Restaurant, Banilad, Cebu City.The Fun Launch introduced their new range of idea brand of consumer PCs and notebooks: IdeaPad and IdeaCentre.The global campaign’s core message is based on connecting with spontaneous moments of fun experienced by Lenovo consumers.

Lenovo’s idea brand of laptops and PCs offer a new range of features that complement users’ wide range of personalities and ideas of having fun.These products are designed as tools for having fun, whether that means being on the go, playing video games, or running a small business.The following computers have clever features that inspire fun and creativity.

These new models have fun features which include Veriface Facial Recognition Technology, Long Battery Life, You Cam, Direct Share, OneKey Theatre II, FingerPrint Reader, SlideNav, Lenovo Security Suite, and Switchable Graphics.Also, these products are powered by the new 2010 Intel Core Processor Family: Intel Core i7, i5 and i3.

What is Your Idea of Fun?

During the Fun Launch, Lenovo also announced their newest blogging contest: “What is your IDEA of FUN?” Lenovo Blog Contest.The Lucky winner of this contest will receive a Lenovo IdeaPad S10-2 netbook.This contest is open only to all registered media guests of the Lenovo Fun Launch.

About Lenovo:

Lenovo is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers.Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets.Formed by the Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufacturers and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services.

“PLDT myDSL Watchpad has over a hundred thousand subscribers and it’s growing”, revealed Miss Myla Villanueva, Senior Product Manager, during the short interview after the ribbon cutting of the launching of the myPLDT Speedster Bus last March 27, 2010 at Formo Restaurants.

Speedster Bus Launching at Formo Restaurants

When asked about the specific number of subscribers, Miss Villanueva replied that it is confidential. She, however, quipped that this is to lessen transparency to competitors.

PLDT myDSL Watchpad is the very first internet TV in the Philippines and it is also the pioneer in the industry. And, it is FREE to all PLDT users. Its target market is mainly the young generation who are common patriots of the of the online world. In terms of browser compatibility, it is best viewed using Internet Explorer.

March 23, 2010 – Thakral Group announced its plan to expand their presence here in Cebu in the press conference held a while ago at Coral Room, Waterfront Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City. This Singapore-based multinational company intends to focus on the Southern market for its four IT subsidiaries, namely – Thakral Infotech, Technopaq, OrionElec and Raffles Solutions and Services.

During the press briefing, Teddy Sumulong, Thakral’s General Manager, talks about the company’s high enthusiasm of the booming Cebu IT market. He shares his vision and go-to-market strategy with the local IT media and industry bloggers. He believes that the Philippine market, in general, have matured to a level of sophistication and understanding wherein the value and importance of information technology is no longer deemed as a peripheral but a critical component in order to operate and remain competitive. Cebu and the other business districts within the region have similar level of maturity and goals to succeed within their respective markets. Sumulong says the Thakral Group recognizes the tremendous opportunities of Cebu and its nearby cities can offer.

For a start, the Thakral Group will be hiring around 5 to 6 people as the pioneering staff in their distributing branch in the city. They will also find strategic partner-resellers to distribute products from IT giants like EMC, IBM, Lenovo, and a lot more.

In Philippines alone, Thakral Group has already have 500 resellers. The company has a 12-year experience as authorized distributor of IBM, Red Hat Linux, Oracle and Acer.

Corporate Profile

Founded in 1905, Thakral Group is one of Singapore’s largest homegrown conglomerates with operations spanning 35 countries and employing in excess of 10, 000 people worldwide. While Thakral’s roots were in trading and textiles, the group has since forayed into electronics distribution, real estate, hotel establishments, manufacturing, IT and value-added consulting services.

This event is carried out thru Globe’s ISP (Internet in Schools Program), which is a part of their vision to become a leader in ICT for education. This program is the major education initiatives of Globe utilizing Globe Broadband to provide free internet for one year to applicable public schools all over the country.

Public schools which have wireless internet connection through WiMAX will have easy access to a wide range of information useful in enhancing the learning process. However, Vice Mayor Rama warned that the students’ access must be limited to educational websites only. Browsing adult and illegal websites are prohibited.

About WiMAX

WiMAX is the newest and cutting-edge wireless broadband technology offering by Globe. WiMAX has improved reach versus other wireless technologies as WiMAX covers greater distances and is 33% faster and 25% more affordable than other broadband providers.

Are you one of those Google fanatics who always miss the chance of attending their conferences and events because most of them were held in Manila or outside the country? Well, now is your chance to catch up with the biggest search engine in the world.

Google Japan will be sending their Software Engineer, Dan Cedric Delima here in Cebu to lead an innovation forum entitled, “ Inspiring Innovation: the Google Way” on Friday, March 12, 2010 at the Conference Hall, Library Building, UP Visayas Cebu College.

The whole day event will begin with talks in the morning which will feature developments in open source, Google maps and their applications. An award for the best Google application will be given in the afternoon following a DevCon Hackathon.

This Innovation forum was organized by Google, UPV Cebu DOST Technology Business Incubator , GTUG – Cebu, Developers Connect (DevCon), Philippine Emerging Start-Ups Open (PESO), Brain Gain Network (BGN) and the Ayala Technology Business Incubator (AyalaTBI). The Innovation Forum is one of the regular tech forums that AyalaTBI holds in Makati and regional centers in the country with partners. It has been running since 2007.

The event is free. Interested participants may call 232 49995 for details.

February 17, 2010 – Lenovo has just launched their new IdeaPad laptops a while ago at Laguna Garden Cafe, Biliran Rd., Cebu Business Park, Cebu City. The event is also their very first press launching in the city. Their main purpose is to convey Cebu’s consumer market that the company has a serious commitment in providing beyond the edge personal computing designs and engineering which are tailored to the customer’s taste and lifestyle.

S10-3t, S10-3, Y550P, and Y460 are the new IdeaPad laptop PCs which are being launched along with the IdeaCentre B500 desktop. All these new products have combinations of stylish designs and innovative features enabled by the ultra low power Intel Core processor family and improved performance with an Intel Core i7 processor. Microsoft’s Windows 7 is the operating system for each product which includes LEE (Lenovo Enhanced Experience for Windows 7). LEE is the result of joint engineering by Lenovo in collaboration with Microsoft to provide users with faster system boot and shutdown, richer multimedia features and easy system maintenance tools.

According to Michael Ngan, Country Manager for Consumer Business, Lenovo Philippines, Lenovo’s Idea products are designed with the user experience in mind. With that, he means that every aspect of product design and technology is engineered to improve how consumers seamlessly use these products to enrich their daily lives.

IdeaPad S10-3t and S10-3 are next-generation netbooks with style and rich multimedia. These products have a combination of portability, style and industry leading technologies that will help redefine the netbook category. Other than that, S10-3t is the very first multitouch capacitive convertible netbook tablet. (SRP for S10-3t: Php 29,900; SRP for S10-3: Php 23,900)

Specifications:

10.1-inch screen (can swivel 180 degrees for S10-3t)

Intel Atom N470 processors

320 GB HDD memory storage

Dolby Headphone audio

DirectShare (to easily synchronize file with another laptop without having to connect to the internet )

Cool Features:

Maplife – location based mapping software

VeriFace – face recognition and Active Protection System to protect the PC hard drive from suddn bumps or falls

IdeaPad Y550P’s cutting-edge power is ideal for today’s multi-tasker. This IdeaPad is the most powerful laptop in Lenovo’s portfolio. (SRP: starts at Php 75,000)

Webthesurfi Rugs Webdesign is the most respected web design and rugs company worldwide. It is founded by expert Web Design professionals who are responsible for the big success of their very first Rugs Portal client. Aside from web design, they also offer Affordable Outsourcing Web Solutions that cater to various medium businesses worldwide.

Through the years, Webthesurfi Rugs Webdesign has already proved its significance in the online industry by winning various Web Design awards and being listed in Forbes Magazine’s most profitable online business. The company also received the highest merit given to a web design and rugs establishment.

And as mentioned above, Webthesurfi Rugs Webdesign tipped the point of success of Rugs Portal. Because of this, the latter almost entrust to them all of their web design and rugs projects. Through this, Webthesurfi Rugs Webdesign is a name to reckon in the multimedia and design and outsourcing industry.

February 10, 2010 – Toshiba has just opened its first Concept Store at SM City in North Reclamation Area, Cebu City. The event started with a store blessing and followed by a ribbon cutting. This shopToshiba Concept Store is expected to strengthen the brand’s presence in the Visayas region and increase market share in the retail of Toshiba premium laptops.

The newly opened shop, which is strategically located at the 3rd level of SM City Cebu’s Cyberzone, showcases Toshiba’s innovative, high quality and stylishly-designed notebook computers with several enhancements to its line of Qosmio, Satellite, Satellite Pro, Tecra, PORTEGE notebook computers and netbooks. They had recently added new features to their Satellite and Portege lineup: the NEW 2010 Intel Core Processors and Multi Touch Screen Technology.

Toshiba aims to provide high level of convenience and quality service to its customers thru iServ, their authorized service center located within the shopToshiba Concept Store.

“The new shopToshiba Concept store brings together the complete notebook PC line into one shop in downtown Cebu,” said Ms. Juno Limjap-Sison, Tricom Marketing and Communications Officer. “The convenient location makes it easy for our customers to come and view our products.”

About Toshiba
Established in 1875, Toshiba Corporation is a world-class innovator and global high technology product leader with 247 major subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Since its initial launch of the T1100 notebook PC in 1985, Toshiba has recorded worldwide cumulative shipment of more than 60 million notebook PCs as at December 2008. Going forward, the notebook PC market will continue to expand, and Toshiba will make competitive products offering cutting-edge technologies and quality. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.pc.toshiba-asia.com.

That’s the very first question that popped up in my head when Nancy Cudis and Max Limpag of Sunstar News invited a few CBS members to attend the product launching of Neo’s EDGE laptops, the thinnest laptop/netbook in the country. The EDGE is 0.87 inch thick while MacBook Air is 0.76. Basing from this single specification, it is obvious that the latter is thinner. But, the thickness is not really that important. What I’m up to is how functional and economical it is.

While some people would definitely prefer MacBook Air because of its unquestionable functionality, many would still go for Neo’s line up of ultra thin laptops not just because of the obvious reason that it’s affordable, but because it has superior functionality that is at par with those expensive ones in the market.

Why would you buy a very expensive MacBook Air when you can have almost the same functionality and style with Neo’s latest offering, the EDGE series, the ultra slim netbook which has beyond cutting edge mobility features? With the global recession and all, we must be cautious enough in spending our hard-earned money.

The Neo EDGE line of ultra-portables were carefully designed to strike an amazing balance between utra-portability and performance. This series has three exciting models that would surely fit the fast-paced lifestyle of the users in the information technology age.

Now, with its consumer friendly packages, Neo EDGE successfully disproves the long running myth that laptops need to be expensive to be powerful and efficient. For more information about this latest product release, click here. If you wanted to know more about NEO Manufacturing and Services, a Philippine based company, click here.

Aside from email marketing and pay per click (PPC) advertising, there is one strategy that has been used by successful online marketers worldwide. And that is SEO, or Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization is an online marketing that proves to be very effective because it uses SEs (Search Engines) as its means of attracting website traffic. This traffic includes people who are searching for anything on the web. It is reported that more than 80% of American internet users are using search engines like google, yahoo, bing, etc. to look for stuffs to buy, or services to subscribe to online. This means that if someone wanted to outsource services, he would likely use google to search for companies who offer outsourcing services.

It is recommended for online outsourcing businesses to use SEO to market their services. Why SEO? Because it is more effective than paid advertising and PPC. SEO is one of the best online marketing strategies that has been used by multinational companies all over the globe.

Below are things you need to know on how to optimize your website so that it will be indexed by search engines.

Identify Relevant Keywords – Let us take for example supportresort.com. The possible keywords that should be used in order for it to top the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) are support resort, online support, online support staff, hire staff online, outsource php programmer, outsource customer support and the list goes on. These keywords should be placed on your site as meta tags. If your website will top on SERPs, then a high volume of traffic will come in. This means greater chances of attracting new customers to subscribe to your services.

Sitemap – This is actually very important in search engine optimization because it allows web crawlers to easily access your website content.

Link Building – This includes exchanging of links if you have a blog, or if your website has a link category. This could also help increase traffic generation, thus increasing chances of getting new customers.

Submission to Directory Sites/RSS Sites/Social Bookmarking Sites – Also a part of link building. Another way of increasing the popularity of your site through the power of directory listing.

Article Submission – To maintain your online business credibility, it is also important to publish articles that are related to the services you offered. This is another way of informing the public that the company doesn’t solely exist for profit.

Blogs – It is one of the most effective SEO tools. This is because blogs are search engine friendly. Unlike static websites, blog sites have mechanisms wherein search engine web crawlers can easily penetrate. Most successful companies have blogs on their websites.

Forums – There are lots of online forums where you can advertise your services by putting a link or banner in your signature. There are also people who frequent in forums who are looking for cheap, yet high quality outsourcing services.

Social Networking Sites – Facebook, Friendster, Multiply and the likes are effective advertising mediums you can use to market your website for FREE. On the other hand, you can also tap bloggers to blog about your services. This is what other companies have been doing as part of their online marketing strategy. In my next article I will discuss in full details the importance of site mapping in search engine optimization.

Your site’s exposure to social networking sites is not actually part of Search Engine Optimization. It’s more on Social Media Marketing.